Chapter 28: Infiltrate a secret base

"Then hurry and find him. Don't let anything happen to him," I urged.

Rahab shot me a sideways glance and said, "Hmph, as if I needed you to tell me." He then glanced at Yan'er and added, "You and Yan'er shouldn't stay here either. This little girl will definitely find a way to track down Luo Hu. Go and see if you can discover the location of their subdivision. Be careful."

As soon as he finished speaking, a shadow flashed, and Rahab was already a hundred meters away.

Watching Rahab leave, I turned to Yan'er and asked, "Can you really find Luo Hu?"

Yan'er nodded confidently and smiled, "Yes, my method is quite similar to Rahab's. Before I left, I tied a strand of my hair around Luo Hu's finger. But since the hair isn't implanted in him, I need to concentrate to detect its scent."

Suddenly, it all made sense to me.

Yan'er was the daughter of Daji, so she had at least half of the fox lineage. Her animal instincts would make her senses far superior to ordinary people, and given her constant training, her sense of smell must be exceptionally keen.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Yan'er. We must find Luo Hu quickly," I said with a smile.

Yan'er nodded but gestured for me to turn around and face away from her. Though puzzled, I complied.

Suddenly, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted into my nose as Yan'er slipped her arms around my neck from behind.

Startled by her sudden action, I blushed and awkwardly asked, "Yan'er, what are you doing?"

My body felt a rush of warmth, but I didn't dare push her away.

"Big brother, I need to stay steady and concentrate while searching for the scent. If we stop and go, it will take a lot of time," Yan'er explained, laughing at my embarrassment. "You said time is of the essence, so I'll ride on your back, focusing on the search while guiding you."

Hearing her explanation, I quickly composed myself to cooperate.

Carrying Yan'er, I stepped out onto the balcony and said, "Yan'er, you can start now." She responded with a soft "Mm," and then fell silent, focusing her energy.

From behind me, a strong scent of fox and demonic energy emanated from Yan'er. Not wanting to disturb her, I remained silent.

After a moment of stillness, Yan'er suddenly extended her hand and pointed to the left. Without hesitation, I ran in the direction she indicated.

Along the way, Yan'er remained silent, only using her hand to guide me, occasionally changing directions, and I followed immediately.

Tracking the scent left by Yan'er's hair, I moved swiftly, leaping over rooftops and through alleys, finally running from the city center to the northern wilderness.

In the dense forest, where the sky was barely visible, we ran over fallen leaves for a while until we came upon a clearing with a small, round chapel.

"Big brother, the scent of my hair stops at that chapel," Yan'er said, breathless.

"A round chapel? How peculiar," I muttered, approaching slowly. The chapel's exterior was dilapidated, and the door was half-open, as if it had been abandoned long ago.

Occasional hoots from owls in the forest added an eerie touch to the ancient chapel.

Hearing the strain in Yan'er's voice, I quickly set her down, noticing that she was drenched in sweat, her already pale face now completely bloodless.

"Yan'er, are you okay? You look very weak," I asked anxiously.

Yan'er smiled weakly and said, "I'm fine, just a bit exhausted from overexertion. Let's go inside quickly, big brother."

Nodding, I supported the frail Yan'er and quietly approached the chapel's window to peek inside.

The chapel was empty, with only ten rows of pews and a sizable pulpit.

We entered the chapel, and Yan'er directed me to the sixth pew on the left, saying, "Big brother, my hair is here."

She reached out and plucked a long, thin black hair from the pew, letting it flutter in the breeze.

"Luo Hu's trail ends here," I murmured, scanning the chapel.

Leaving Yan'er on the pew, I searched the surroundings for any hidden mechanisms but found nothing.

"Damn it, do I have to level the whole chapel?" I muttered in frustration, pounding the floor.

"Big brother, look!" Yan'er suddenly exclaimed.

I looked up in the direction she pointed and saw a stained glass window on the wall behind the pulpit, with a pentagram etched in the center, surrounded by a small circle.

"The mark of the Satan's Cult," I sneered.

It seemed the Satan's Cult's subdivision was here, but the exact entrance was still unknown.

"The mark of the Satan's Cult? But it seems to be upside down," Yan'er noted with confusion.

Upon closer inspection, I realized she was right. The mark, which should have two points up and three down, was inverted.

As I pondered the significance, Yan'er, deep in thought, suddenly smiled and said, "Big brother, I know where the entrance is!"

"Really?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes! My mother once told me some secrets about the Satan's Cult. I know how some of their hidden mechanisms work," Yan'er explained, pointing to the pews. "These ten rows of pews can form a large pentagram."

She then pointed to the stained glass window, "And the mystery of this window only appears when sunlight shines through it."

With Yan'er's guidance, I immediately understood!

The inverted mark on the window was meant to mislead.

When sunlight penetrates the window, someone standing at the chapel's entrance would see the shadow of the window on the floor, revealing the original Satan's Cult mark.

"The shadow of the window falls right in the center of the large pentagram formed by the pews, and the round chapel itself creates another Satan's Cult mark," Yan'er added.

"One after another, endless," I sneered, then asked Yan'er, "So where is the actual entrance?"

Yan'er looked at the center of the chapel and said, "I think when the two marks align perfectly, the small circle within the pentagram's shadow is the key."

Calculating as I walked, I reached the chapel's center and found a small, barely noticeable round hole.

"It seems the entrance is here, but how do we open it?" I said, feeling around the shallow hole.

"Yan'er, you should rest for a while and then return to the hotel," I suggested.

Unexpectedly, Yan'er shook her head firmly and said, "No, I want to go down with you, big brother."

I gently tried to persuade her, "We don't know what lies below. It could be very dangerous. You're very weak right now, and I don't want anything to happen to you."

Yan'er smiled and said, "Big brother, you can protect me, can't you?"

I sighed, "Yan'er, this is truly a perilous situation. There are many formidable foes below. If anything happens to you, how can I face your mother?"

Yan'er looked sorrowful and said, "So you think I'm a burden, big brother? Then I'll go alone." She turned away, tears streaming down her face.

Quickly waving my hands, I said, "No, that's not what I meant. You can come with me! Please don't cry; I can't stand seeing a girl cry."

Hearing my consent, Yan'er immediately smiled through her tears and said, "I knew you were afraid of women crying, big brother!"

I couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. "Remember, if there's any danger, you must turn and run!" I said.

"No way, I won't leave you behind, big brother. If you're in danger, I won't abandon you!" Yan'er replied earnestly in her childish voice, which touched me deeply.

I smiled and said, "Alright then, you must stay close to me and not stray more than three steps away, okay?"

Yan'er nodded and then walked over, looking at the small round hole in the ground. "It seems like this entrance needs a key to open," she said.

"Yes, but we don't have a key," I said, pondering for a moment before suddenly realizing something. "I know what the key is!"

"Really? What is it?" Yan'er asked excitedly.

I reached into the hole and felt around. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Devil eye," I said.

"The Devil eye? Why the Devil eye?" Yan'er asked, puzzled.

I pointed at the round hole. "Look, the size of this hole is exactly the size of an eye. And I remember Rahab explaining to me that the central circle of the pentagram represents the Devil eye. So, I deduce that this small hole is meant for placing the Devil eye."

Yan'er suddenly understood but then sighed helplessly. "But we don't have a Devil eye now. We can't just dig out your eye, big brother."

I gave her a sly smile and then pulled out a blood-stained eye from my pocket. The eye's iris was the unique bright red of the Devil eye.

Yan'er looked at me in shock. "Where did you get this Devil eye from?"

I smiled. "Did you forget the head I brought back earlier? That person was a demon. I already dug out his Devil eye."

"I see," Yan'er said with a smile.

"Alright, Yan'er, step back a bit. We don't know if this Devil eye will open the secret passage or trigger some dangerous mechanism," I said cautiously.

Yan'er obediently stepped back a few meters. To avoid any loss, I first summoned the "Eye of Illusions." Instantly, I felt my body become agile and full of strength.

I gently placed the Devil eye into the round hole. The eye fit perfectly and then began to spin eerily, stirring up a spray of blood.

I stood up and took a few steps back, but nothing else happened for a while.

The entire chapel was silent, except for the friction sound of the spinning Devil eye.

"Big brother, did it fail?" Yan'er asked.

Just as I was about to answer, a faint sound came from beneath the round hole.

I smiled. "No, the entrance should appear soon."

No sooner had I finished speaking than a two-meter diameter circular floor, centered around the Devil eye, suddenly began to descend rapidly!

I quickly ran to pick up Yan'er and jumped onto the descending platform.